I think I cried through at least seventy percent of this book, and for me, that's a good thing. I adore when a book makes me feel, but this one will be hard hitting, no question. But there's hope and rebuilding, too, so it has a very bittersweet feeling. Let us talk about why I adored this one so much!
- ►Like I mentioned, the feels! Look, going into a book that features a best friendship broken apart by suicide, you know you're going to be exploring a lot of emotions. Or at least, you will if the book is done well, which this one absolutely is. I cried, hard, through a pretty significant portion of it. But it was more than just a sobfest. There was also so much love and rebuilding, and ultimately, hope.
- ►Reid felt so very relatable. Who among us hasn't felt like "the best friend"? You have a friend who is seemingly larger than life, and you're just along for the ride. This is how Reid feels, and I have 100% been there. The thing Reid learns, and what I have learned in life, and what is just a good lesson for us all, is that sometimes a person is not as happy as they outwardly seem. I too have felt overshadowed by friends whose personalities simply glow, and it's hard to navigate. Reid is okay with being the sidekick in The Hattie Show, but what happens when she learns how hard Hattie's reality had been?
- ►Loads of mental illness talk. Obviously, this book is full of mental health discussion. Though most of it is Reid learning to cope with her grief, and what Hattie's mental illness looked like, it's certainly still present. And I think just as important, frankly. It's easy to not understand what someone is going through; this book allows the reader to take the journey of understanding more of what Hattie was struggling with. There's discussion about medication, and warning signs, and I thought the author handled it really well.
- ►There is a huge focus on relationships of all kinds. Obviously, Reid and Hattie's relationship is a huge plot point, but it's also about Reid forging new bonds and expanding on her existing bonds. There is some romance, but there is a lot of friendship building as well. There's also a big focus on Reid's family and how she navigates her relationships with them which is great. Reid's brother has autism, and one of the best things about their relationship is her growing to see how awesome he is, just the way he is. I won't lie, it's disarming at first, the way she reacted to him at times (Cait @ Paper Fury wrote an amazing post about this) but I think her growth and appreciation of him by the end makes it worthwhile.
- ►Ultimately, it's a story about Reid's growth and finding herself. Gosh I love these stories. Who Reid was with Hattie, who she will be moving forward, and who she will be in new relationships are questions at the forefront. And I love when a character can see that maybe they're more capable than they ever gave themselves credit for.
Bottom Line:Beyond lovely and completely heartfelt, this book brought all the tears, but also, all the hope.